Child & Youth Mental Health Algorithm - GPSC

To challenge this thought, you can ask yourself the following questions:Am falling into a thinking trap?Yes, I have fallen into the trap of fortune-telling, predicting that things will turn outbadly before the event even takes place. But I still feel like I’ll definitely mess up.Am I basing my judgment on the way I “feel” instead of the “facts”?I might feel like I’m going to mess up, but there is no evidence to support it. I’m veryqualified for the position. I have had interviews in the past and generally they havegone well.Am I 100% sure that I will mess up?No, but, what if I mess up this time?Well, what’s the worst that could happen? If the worst did happen, whatcould I do to cope with it?The worst that could happen is that I don’t get a job that I really wanted. It’ll bedisappointing, but it won’t be the end of the world. I can always ask for feedback tosee whether there is anything I can do to improve my chances of getting anotherposition similar to this one.Use copies of the Realistic Thinking Form to regularly write downthoughts that make you anxious, and use the Challenging NegativeThinking handout to help you replace your anxious thoughts with morerealistic ones.Step 4: More on helpful and realistic ways of thinkingMore tips on helpful thinking:Tip #1: Coping statements. Try coming up with statements that remind you how youcan cope with a situation. For example, “If I get anxious, I will try some calmbreathing”, “I just need to do my best”, “People cannot tell when I am feelinganxious”, “This has happened before and I know how to handle it”, or “Myanxiety won’t last forever”.Tip #2: Positive self-statements. Regularly practise being “kind” to yourself (saypositive things about yourself), rather than being overly self-critical. Forexample, instead of saying, “I will fail”, say something like, “I can do it”. Or, “Iam not weak for having anxiety. Everyone experiences anxiety”, “I’m not aloser if someone doesn’t like me. No one is liked by everyone!”, or “I’m strongfor challenging myself to face the things that scare me”.© AnxietyBC 4